Her Impact
by Kiba Sniper
Summary: Prince Soma learns of Meena's death through Lau and ponders his selfishness because of her betrayal and false friendship. Even when saddened by his thoughts, Soma remembers that he will always have Agni.


Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

Her Impact

The news of Meena and West's death tolled on the young prince quite hard. As the words left Lau's lips, Soma stood in paralyzed shock. Death was something that never really crossed his mind, which was usually filled with happy, playful thoughts. Soma quietly asked to know how they died, and Lau replied with a cunning smirk that they were found murdered.

"But…but how?" Soma demanded, flustered at his secrecy.

Lau shrugged, gingerly pinching his little Ranmao's cheeks. "I don't know. I suppose the little mice wandered too far into a cat's den, and they were clawed too deeply."

Cringing at the odd metaphoric statement, Soma uneasily slumped down into one of Ciel's leather chairs. For once, he was glad Ciel and Sebastian were out and about in the grand city of London. He did not want Ciel to see his distress, knowing that he vowed to become a stronger man and not to cry anymore. Biting his lower lip, Soma's gentle eyes scoured around the massive, flourished living room, finding paintings of past Phantomhives and one of Queen Victoria with her husband, Prince Albert, in their younger days.

Soma sighed, burying his face in his hands and thought of Meena. Her gracious figure, her once loving smile, and the way her eyes narrowed down in hatred always haunted him through his dreams. The way she shrieked at him flooded in his skull would make him wince visibly at the horrid memory. How she forced Agni to slave away over a royal warrant and made the Indian teenager believe the dreaded notion that Agni would betray him.

"Prince?" Lau inquired, holding Ranmao in his arms with a confused expression.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, I was…thinking," Soma replied, straightening himself.

"Well, I just wanted to come tell you since the young earl is not here." Lau grinned, walking past Soma with Ranmao devotedly at his side. Patting his head, he stopped to stand beside him and stated, "I wouldn't worry about her. She was bound to try it again. People don't learn lessons so easily. Ciao!"

Soma hummed, blankly gazing at his hands as Lau and Ranmao made their way to the door. He glanced over his shoulder as he heard the door shut quietly before gritting his teeth. There was something Lau was not telling him, something unknown and deadly. Soma hated secrets, having been told them almost all of his life.

_She's really dead, _he thought to himself, walking towards the stairs. As he made his way to his room, he bypassed Finian, who greeted him enthusiastically. He barely noticed, making the gardener place a finger to his chin in wonder.

"Something wrong?" Finian inquired.

"Eh? Oh, I'm fine. Do not concern yourself with me," Soma requested before closing the door to his room.

Finian cocked his head in wonder before gasping as he recalled that he needed to trim the bushes before the young master returned home and scurried down the stairs.

Soma lied down on his bed, staring at the ceiling in contemplation. Meena was dead. There was nothing he could to change that. He could not raise the dead or revive her with the magical abilities he did not have. While he should have felt glee for her death, all he could understand was the tangible, lifeless emotion of stoicism. Mixed emotions ran through him while his face remained similar to a blank slate. There was hot anger, odd sadness, joyful bliss, but what surprised him the most was his lack of feeling in his body. Shock, most likely.

Meena was around him his entire life, giving him false kindness and love. Yet, she was the only one who could even stand the prince's presence when he was a child. The other maids treated him less than a nuisance, an annoying pest. Only Agni managed to deal with his almost insufferable needs, but he was loyal, a friend. Meena pretended, acted as if in a play. She performed her role well, waited until the proper moment to stage her "kidnap" and flee with West.

How she fooled him. How she fooled all of them.

When Soma and Agni first went on their wild goose chase to England to find Meena, Soma thought she would gladly return home, back to the Indian palace. Back to what Soma deemed a normal life. He lived a foolish, carefree life, dependent on Meena, Agni, and his servants.

Who knew that would all come tumbling down with the screaming truth? Soma never listened to anyone's feelings. It took Agni working behind his back to continue to keep the wool over Soma's eyes, to prevent the harsh reality from lashing him across the face. It took Sebastian to force him to face the facts. Ciel even helped him by telling part of his tragic past.

Soma understood new things because of Meena. How people can create images of themselves, invent lies to fan the flames of the trust until the time to betray that person came. His trust in others was fading with Meena's death, but he could still count on him.

Agni.

Agni, who had never left his side. Agni, who worshipped him like a god, Agni, who loved him.

Soma smiled at the memory of Agni returning to be his _khansama_. He put his dear attendant through a lot of strife in the past weeks. Sitting up, Soma pondered to himself why Agni kept dealing with him during his selfish times. Musing over the thought, he was suddenly interrupted by a light knocking on the door.

_Well, speak of the devil, _Soma thought, smiling as Agni entered his room with an armful of the prince's clothing.

"Hello, my prince. I hope I am not intruding," Agni greeted, smiling lightly.

"You are never in my way, Agni."

Agni chuckled at Soma's good-natured response. "The boy, Finian, caught me off guard when he accidentally broke another tree and asked me to help…dispose if it before Master Ciel returned home. Otherwise, Mister Sebastian may yell at him again."

Soma cringed, recalling how Sebastian leered murderously at him when he almost interrupted Ciel's conversation with those men from the police or wherever they came from. Something was strangely off about the butler, but if he ever mentioned that to Sebastian himself, well, he prayed that Kali would be on his side.

Returning back to his thoughts as Agni opened the closet, filled with the prince's lavish clothing and began to hang up the ones in his arms. A brief flicker of awe came to Soma's face before standing and snatching a few shirts from Agni's arms. At his servant's surprised expression, Soma smirked.

"As I vowed to become a better man, I believe that helping one would be part of a good start," he reasoned, hanging up his clothing.

"That is very considerate. Thank you, my prince," Agni replied, smiling as he recalled Soma's vow.

"I heard that Meena and West were killed together. Lau informed me of it a few minutes ago."

Agni stopped, gray eyes poised wide in shock. Meena? Dead? Lau did not have any intention to lie to his prince, but murdered? The thought dumbstruck Agni, making his arm slack and drop a few articles of clothing. Gasping lightly, he apologized and quickly snatched up the silk and colorful garbs.

Soma chuckled, crossing his arms. "I see you're not taking this well."

"W-well, it is murder, my prince. Why would anyone have a reason to kill West and Meena?"

"Lau mentioned they were like mice…" Soma shrugged. "I'm glad he told me. I'm not sure how I am supposed to feel about this. Meena was kind under a visage of hate. She was an older sister to me, but I was foolish enough to not realize her hidden contempt."

"My prince…"

Waving a dismissive hand, Soma smiled tiredly. "I am fine, Agni. There is nothing more to be worried about, especially not when I have you at my side! Since you will never abandon me so willingly?"

Agni uttered a silent sigh of relief, placing his hand over his heart and bowed his head compliantly. "I would never betray you, my prince, when I have sworn myself to you."

"Thank you, Agni. Ah, I know! Come, Agni! To show Ciel that I am going to become a better man, we have to get going to his London townhouse and tend to it! In Kali's good name, let's not dawdle here!"

Not the slightest bit baffled at the young prince's exuberance, Agni nodded and replied, "_Jo agya._"

…

This was written a while back, and I never finished it properly, but I rather like the simplicity to it. Please review.


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